Music

‘The Gilded Age’ Cast Recorded a Christmas Album

Because of course they did.

Ani Bundel

28 Sep 2026 — 3 min read

'The Gilded Age' Season 1 Finale Ball (Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO)

Technically, there were musical episodes of TV dramas made before the 2001 Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Once More With Feeling.” However, they were few and far between, and mostly considered not great. The Buffy episode changed that, with fans clamoring for musical episodes anytime they were confronted with a cast that included multiple actors who could be considered triple threats (singing/dancing/acting).

Of all the shows currently airing, fans most often cite The Gilded Age as ripe for an all-music one-off installment, and with good reason. The HBO series, which finally began filming in 2020 after a decade of development hell, took advantage of the Broadway pandemic shutdown, hiring out-of-work stage actors desperate for hours to qualify for health insurance. It helped that The Gilded Age sports one of the largest ensemble casts on television, with over two dozen major speaking roles; by the time the cast was complete, the series had enough talent in the supporting roles for a full-blown musical, should it decide to make one.

Thus far, the production has resisted the temptation to do a full operetta-style episode. However, with so many talented singers, an album featuring multiple cast members was probably inevitable. To keep music royalties in-house, HBO decided to get ahead of it by announcing that Season 4’s holiday-timed arrival would come with a holiday album full of Christmas songs from the late Victorian era.

Most of the songs are exactly what you would expect on an album like this, featuring the most well-known singers in the cast. However, producer/songwriter Desmond Child, who oversaw the album’s creation, also added two original songs: “It’s Been Real,” sung by Donna Murphy (Hello, Dolly!), and the lead single, “The World Needs Some Christmas,” sung by Ben Ahlers (John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!).

Along with Murphy and Ahlers, the Voices of the Gilded Age album features cast members Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime), Christine Baranski (A Little Night Music), Audra McDonald (Porgy & Bess), Kelli O’Hara (South Pacific), Denée Benton (Hamilton), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Merrily We Roll Along), Jordan Donica (Les Misérables), Taylor Richardson (Annie), Taylor Trensch (Floyd Collins), Adrienne Warren (Shuffle Along), and Laura Benanti (My Fair Lady).

The album also features series leads Carrie Coon (The White Lotus) and Morgan Spector (Boardwalk Empire), who aren’t singers, doing a reading of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Here’s the forthcoming album’s full track list:

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year” Brian Stokes Mitchell
“We Need a Little Christmas” Christine Baranski
“’Twas the Night Before Christmas (Part 1)” Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
“The World Needs Some Christmas” Ben Ahlers
“I Remember” Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy & Kelli O’Hara
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Kelli O’Hara
“O Holy Night” Denée Benton & Jordan Donica
“I Wonder as I Wander” Audra McDonald
“’Twas The Night Before Christmas (Part 2)” Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
“Let It Snow” Taylor Richardson & Taylor Trensch
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” Adrienne Warren
“Wexford Carol” Celia Keenan-Bolger & Laura Benanti
“Just In Time for Christmas” Laura Benanti
“’Twas The Night Before Christmas (Part 3)” Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
“It’s Been Real” Donna Murphy

Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) created and wrote The Gilded Age, with Salli Richardson-Whitfield as co-writer; both return to pen Season 4, with Erica Dunbar continuing as the historical consultant. Director Michael Engler helms episodes, as does Richardson-Whitfield. All are executive producers, along with Sonja Warfield, Gareth Neame, and Bob Greenblatt.

The Gilded Age Season 4 will debut on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and will air and stream weekly episodes through the holidays. Seasons 1 through 3 are streaming on HBO Max.